Healdsburg Physician Rallies Community to Restore Sight 7,500 Miles Away

Sonoma County fundraiser raises over $50,000 to support sight-restoring programs in Southeast Asia

“Restoring one person’s vision transforms an entire family. I’m grateful to our community for stepping up to be part of this global mission.” - Dr. Gary Barth

Healdsburg, CA (Newsworthy.ai) Friday Nov 22, 2024 @ 8:45 AM Pacific —

It is approximately 7,500 miles from Healdsburg, California, to Nepal, but for ophthalmologist Dr. Gary Barth, the distance is bridged by a shared vision of restoring sight and hope. On November 14, 2024, 80 guests gathered at Craftwork Healdsburg to celebrate Barth’s 25 years of volunteer service fighting curable blindness in underserved regions of Southeast Asia. The event raised over $50,000 for Barth’s nonprofit, BBH Eye Foundation (“BBH”), including three transformative $5,000 gifts dedicated to funding Primary Eye Care Centers (PECCs) in Nepal. BBH has a goal to create five new PECCs by 2025.

Donations from the event will directly support sight-saving care, with every $50 covering the cost of a cataract surgery and $5,000 funding the creation of an entire PECC. Essential for building sustainable infrastructure, PECCs provide free eye care services in remote regions. Guided by BBH’s trust-based philanthropy model, these crucial resources are fully donated to the municipalities in which they are founded. PECCs offer vision exams, glasses, access to cataract surgery, and training for local providers, empowering communities long after initial funding.

Donations including many from the Healdsburg community and environs continue to pour in, underscoring the profound impact of Barth's work. BBH Eye Foundation has already helped enable more than 200,000 free cataract surgeries since its founding in 2019, with a focus on Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Nepal. BBH and Barth's efforts go beyond restoring sight—these surgeries often restore independence, productivity, and dignity for patients and their families.

In addition to funding PECCs, cataract surgeries, and eyeglasses, donations raised also support critical needs such as purchasing much-needed medical equipment and creating electronic medical records (EMR) databases for rural eye care providers in Southeast Asia. These databases allow providers to track patient care more efficiently, improving outcomes and ensuring long-term sustainability for eye care programs. As BBH Eye Foundation continues to fundraise for these essential resources, every contribution helps bridge the gap between underserved communities and the life-changing eye care they need.

Barth, who lives in Santa Rosa, California, has devoted his career to ophthalmology and humanitarian service. 

“What’s extraordinary isn’t just the number of surgeries performed or glasses distributed—it’s the ripple effects these small interventions have,” Barth said. “Restoring one person’s vision transforms an entire family. I’m grateful to our community for stepping up to be part of this global mission.”

The Power of Local Action, Global Impact

The Healdsburg event showcased how local action can lead to global change. Guests heard inspiring stories from Barth’s 25-year journey, including moments from his Cataract Chronicles—a series of reflections on his work introducing modern eye care to underserved regions. With its success, BBH Eye Foundation is poised to expand its reach, ensuring more families in Southeast Asia can access life-changing care.

For those interested in supporting BBH Eye Foundation’s work, donations can still be made at bbheye.org. In joining together and with Barth’s leadership, this small community in Sonoma County is helping restore the gift of sight to thousands of individuals, 7,500 miles away.

About BBH Eye Foundation

Driven by the belief that good vision and access to eye care are inherent human rights, BBH Eye Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive eye care services to low-resource communities in underdeveloped countries, with a focus on Southeast Asia. Through local and international partnerships, BBH promotes sustainable programs including cataract surgery, vision exams, eyeglasses, and Primary Eye Care Centers. bbheye.org

About Gary Barth

Dr. Gary Barth has dedicated his career to eradicating curable blindness, particularly cataracts, among vulnerable populations. Through the nonprofit he co-founded, BBH Eye Foundation, Barth has helped support over 200,000 cataract surgeries across Southeast Asia since 2019. Locally, he has advanced eye care in the North Bay by founding key institutions such as the Eye Bank of Sonoma and Pacific Laser Eye Center.

Since relocating his practice to Healdsburg in 2021, Barth has expanded access to leading offerings, including introducing the cutting-edge Light Adjustable Lens™ (LAL) cataract technology to the North Bay. Barth, who provides surgical care at his private surgery suite in Santa Rosa, has received numerous awards for his humanitarian work, including a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition. For more, visit barthvision.org.